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Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

electrek.co

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Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#21

Post by giobox »

Hippocrates wrote: post #18

Knowing the Tesla owner community quite well, I suspect Tesla was hoping nobody would find out it’s a dummy and complain that the newer cars are inferior to the older ones (like they did with the radar and ultrasonic sensors)

Knowing how car parts work quite well, I suspect nobody wanted to pay the large costs in retooling the mount and heated window they already manufacture in the millions of units. This kinda thing happens all the time.

The best/worst example I've seen recently is the Jaguar V6 which is still inside a V8 engine block, so the company could use same mounting parts etc:

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmcXCwW5U3M

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#22

Post by falcolas »

Feels a lot like the “two motors for steering” issue where they’re omitting one motor for cost, leaving the car unable to be fully self driving until it’s replaced.

I cant think of many other reasons they would reduce coverage and redundancy for a sensor critical to their obstacle detection system.

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#24

Post by moffkalast »

blakesterz wrote: post #3

My vehicle has a couple "dummy" things on the inside as well. Places for plugs and switches and things that are only on other models. Maybe it's something like that? It'll be an upgrade option or on a different model? It's probably much cheaper to make the housing thing to be used in a wider range of models.

When a car costs nearly $100k it better come with all the fucking upgrade options installed.

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#25

Post by partiallypro »

Hippocrates wrote: post #18

Knowing the Tesla owner community quite well, I suspect Tesla was hoping nobody would find out it’s a dummy and complain that the newer cars are inferior to the older ones (like they did with the radar and ultrasonic sensors)

Tesla never used LIDAR if I'm not mistaken?

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#26

Post by ilrwbwrkhv »

Hippocrates wrote: post #18

Knowing the Tesla owner community quite well, I suspect Tesla was hoping nobody would find out it’s a dummy and complain that the newer cars are inferior to the older ones (like they did with the radar and ultrasonic sensors)

The cars are steadily getting worse though. The first model s which I still have was fantastic. Since then I have moved over to the taycan.

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#27

Post by majormajor »

toast0 wrote: post #20
xeromal wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cars do that pretty often. EVs for instance often have fake grilles for no reason.

This isn't just EVs, it's currently fashionable on ICEs to block the traditionally placed grille, and then add airflow underneath.

Or the late-1980s Ford Taurus. ;)

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1986-90-ford-taurus

Interestingly:

> In truth, most American cars had been "bottom breathers"--they got their air from below the bumper and beneath the car, rather than from air rushing through the grille and radiator--for years. For the Taurus, Ford stylists merely took the bottom-breather reality to heart, made it work for them, and blocked the nose of their volume-selling sedan. The overall effect instantly made the rest of Detroit's output look old-fashioned in the process.

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#28

Post by tomatotomato37 »

daveguy wrote: post #19
dmonitor wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“tesla reuses old plastic molds for new car models” is a much less interesting title, though.

Except it's not just the mold. They put a fake realistic camera in where the placeholder is. If it was to "fill space in a generic mold" they could have used a plastic cover. Instead they chose a realistic looking mock camera. I wonder why.

If they also manufacture the enclosure for the camera electronics in-house then it may still be cheaper to produce more of them than it would be to spin up separate manufacturing for a filler piece

Re: Tesla puts a ‘dummy’ camera in its new vehicles

#29

Post by [deleted] »

giobox wrote: post #21
Hippocrates wrote: post #18

Knowing the Tesla owner community quite well, I suspect Tesla was hoping nobody would find out it’s a dummy and complain that the newer cars are inferior to the older ones (like they did with the radar and ultrasonic sensors)

Knowing how car parts work quite well, I suspect nobody wanted to pay the large costs in retooling the mount and heated window they already manufacture in the millions of units. This kinda thing happens all the time. The best/worst example I've seen recently is the Jaguar V6 which is still inside a V8 engine block, so the company could use same mounting parts etc: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmcXCwW5U3M

[deleted]
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